I have in the last few weeks discovered my dads three cousins were all KIA in WW2. Two were in the RAF VR. Sgt Richard Kerry was shot down over the coast of Germany and his body never found, his name is on the Runnymede Memorial. His younger brother Sgt John Kerry was KIA on 27/01/44 and is buried in Redhill Cem Nottm (where i live) but has no CWG headstone. I have reported this to the CWGC & the local council who run the cemetery. The other brother Joe was with the RA & killed in Italy. This left no one to visit the graves....until now. If anyone has any info on Sgt John Kerry i would be most greatful or how to access RAF VR records
hello and welcome link below to apply for records Ministry of Defence | About Defence | What we do | Personnel | Service Records | Making a Request for Information held on the Personnel Records of Deceased Service Personnel and Home Guard records regards Clive
panel attached for KERRY, RICHARD Rank: Sergeant Service No: 936945 Date of Death: 18/08/1942 Age: 23 Regiment/Service: Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve 214 (F.M.S.) Sqdn. Panel Reference Panel 87. Memorial RUNNYMEDE MEMORIAL Additional Information: Son of John and Elizabeth Kerry; husband of Dorothy Kerry, of Nottingham. Stirling Mark I BF330 BU-H Took off from Stradishall on an operation to Osnabruck. Shot down by a night fighter (oblt Ludwig Becker, 6./NJG2) operating off the Dutch Frisian Islands and crashed at 01:40 hrs some 30 km North of Terschelling. Plt/Off Symes and Sgt Kerry have no known grave; the rest were washed ashore, mainly onto United Kingdom beaches. Date of loss : 17 August 1942 Crew of Stirling Mark I BF330 BU-H consisted of : Sgt Alexander Shaw Dewar, 931485, Air Gunner, Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve, KIA 17 August 1942, Aged 25 Sgt Andrew Fleming, R/77881, Pilot, Royal Canadian Air Force, KIA 18 August 1942, Aged 23 Sgt Adrian Harold Cooper Gill, 404024, Wireless Operator / Air Gunner, Royal New Zealand Air Force, KIA 17 August 1942, Aged 24 Sgt William Henry Jones, 571733, Flight Engineer, Royal Air Force, KIA 17 August 1942, Aged 21 Sgt Richard Kerry, 936945, Air Gunner, Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve, KIA 18 August 1942, Aged 23 Sgt Godfrey William Pickworth, 1153786, Wireless Operator / Air Gunner, Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve, KIA 17 August 1942, Aged 22 Plt/Off Kenneth Peter Symes, 111586, Pilot, Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve, KIA 18 August 1942, Aged 24 Source : Chorley and Eric Utley and Janet Utley niece of Sgt Richard Kerry http://www.214squadron.org.uk/Crews_and_losses_Stirling_m.htm =================== re KERRY, JOHN Rank: Sergeant Trade: Air Gnr Service No: 2221041 Date of Death: 27/01/1944 Age: 36 Regiment/Service: Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve Grave Reference Class B. Uncons. Grave 2654. Cemetery ARNOLD CEMETERY Additional Information: Son of John and Elizebeth Kerry, husband of Gladys Kerry, of Apsley. is there a private headstone? KERRY, JOSEPH Rank: Gunner Service No: 1600391 Date of Death: 08/12/1944 Age: 28 Regiment/Service: Royal Artillery 113 Field Regt. Grave Reference VII, A, 21. Cemetery FORLI WAR CEMETERY Additional Information: Son of John and Elizabeth Kerry, of Nottingham; husband of Doris Kerry, of Nottingham.
Clive Thank you for the reply, espically the photo of Runnymede. I do plan to visit the memorial next year. Sgt John Kerry is buried in the same plot as him mother who died in 1939 & father ( my great uncle) John in 1952. Will try the links you have suggested. Regards Martin Kerry
Clive Thank you for the reply, espically the photo of Runnymede. I do plan to visit the memorial next year. Sgt John Kerry is buried in the same plot as him mother who died in 1939 & father ( my great uncle) John in 1952. Will try the links you have suggested. Regards Martin Kerry Hello Martin Re John It would then appear he is in a private grave and as long as his name is legible he is commemorated as per CWGC protocol. Would you be able to post a photo of the grave.If you so wish we can then add to our War Graves thread. regards Clive
RAF Casualty Communique No. 364 promulgated in FLIGHT magazine March 30th, 1944 KILLED ON ACTIVE SERVICE. Sgt. B. Ackroyd; Sgt. H. C. Birch; F/O. A. Coumbis; F/O. I. E. French; Act. Group Capt. J. Goodhart; Sgt. H. Hewitt; F/O. A. D. Holding; P/O. W. Jenkinson; Sgt. T. H. Jones; Sgt. J . Kerry; Fit. Lt. T. V. O'Shaughnessy; F/O. A. G. A. Overall; Sgt. R. A. Partridge; L.A/C. E. T. A. Pottinger; Sgt. J . F. Richards; Sgt. R. Street; Sgt. A. Thursby; Sgt. C. Tomkinson; Act. Sqn. Ldr. A. Traill; Fit. Sgt. F. Turner, D.F.M.; Fit. Lt. L. J . Woolven.
Hello Martin, I had already replied to one of your requests on another thread. The following re the loss of Sgt. John Kerry is taken from RAF Bomber Command Losses Vol.8 - W R. Chorley. Its possible that the reason there is no CWGC headstone is that members of the crew were buried by their family's thus the CWGC would not have been involved. 26-27 January 1944 1660 HCU Stirling III EH933 Op. Training. Took off from Swinderby for a night cross-country, with two flight engineers including the crew of eight. While flying at high altitude, just inland from the south coast of Devon, a sudden and terrible disasters overtook the crew and their aircraft dropped from the sky, breaking apart as it fell. Thus at 0004 hrs the fuselage and most of the mainplane crashed into a hillside at Coppleham Cross, north of Exton and a mere six miles south south east from the city of Exeter. Eventually debris was recovered from along a path stretching three and a half miles eastwards from the main impact point. Air Investigation Branch specialists later determined that the rear fuselage had detached at around 14,000 feet, following at circa 10,000 - 11,000 feet by the elevators and rear turret. Following identification, the eight airmen were buried under private arrangements by their next of kin. Crew. Sgt. R A. Partridge + Sgt. A. Thursby + Sgt. H. Hewitt + Sgt. C V. Tomkinson + Sgt. T H. Jones + Sgt. B. Ackroyd + Sgt. J. Kerry + Sgt. R. Street + __________________
Regarding CWGC commemorations for RAF casualties.The modus operandi was that the Air Ministry gave the NOK the right to have the casualty buried at the location of their choice.Many chose RAF plots near to RAF airfields or RAF concentrated dedicated burial plots such as Cambridge,Chester,Botley nr Oxford and such like. Other NOK chose to bring the casualty home for burial.Those who were serving in Commonwealth Air Forces and had British spouces,again were buried at locations as determined by the NOK.Many can be found buried at their adopted home locations. I think in this case, Sgt Kerry was initially buried with his mother and later his father was interred there.In these circumstances,his parents would not be able share a CWGC tombstone. I have seen other casualities (RFC) lying in CWGC cemeteries in France with private tombstones and one at Colerne (RAF) with a private tombstone.It all depended on the wishes of the NOK and as I see it,the appropriate authorities or in the case discussed,the Air Ministry were happy to accomodate those wishes. Per Ardua ad Astra
Casualty headstone attached from Stirling III EH933 STREET, RICHARD Rank: Sergeant Trade: Air Gnr. Service No: 1638635 Date of Death: 27/01/1944 Age: 21 Regiment/Service: Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve Grave Reference Row 8. Grave 4. Cemetery GREAT BERKHAMSTED (ST. PETER) CHURCH CEMETERY Additional Information: Son of Robert William and Anita May Street, of Berkhamsted. His brother Peter Robert Street also died on service.
Clive, Dave B & Harry. Thank you for information. Understand now how it may be that John didnt get a headstone. However as i am probably the closest relative around and belive that someone who died in the uniform should be remembered with a military headstone, even if i have to pay for it myself...but will try the CWG first! Must say how helpfull the folks on this site are. Martin
Hello Martin Re John It would then appear he is in a private grave and as long as his name is legible he is commemorated as per CWGC protocol. Would you be able to post a photo of the grave.If you so wish we can then add to our War Graves thread. regards Clive Hope this comes out ok? Martin
View attachment 93532 Hope this comes out ok? Martin Clive Another photo showing the size of the grave. Martin
Just to say thank you to everyone who has contributed to this thread. I stumbled across it when researching my grandmother's family, and having followed the leads provided I am now certain that John, Richard and Joseph were all her brothers - and therefore my great uncles. I will do all I can to find out more about their time in service, and to visit their graves/memorial with my own kids. It would seem too that Trooper Kerry and I are distantly related, and a PM has been sent. On the one hand it's great when pieces of a puzzle come together, while on the other hand tremendously humbling to learn of what my Nan must have gone through during the war, when her own husband was with the troops in the desert and Italy. Once again, thank you to everyone who has taken the time to contribute to the above. Bob
